Frederick warren sumner



F.- W. SUMNER.

' MEMORANDUM RECORDERV APPLICATION FILED 020.13. i911.

Pafented Nov. 25, 1919.

- VENTQR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WARREN SUMNER, 0F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

MEMORANDUM-RECORDER.

Application filed December 13, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fnnnnnrox VVARREN SUMNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Elizabeth, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Memorandum-Recorders, of whicn the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for receiving and retaining the records of incidental memoranda and consists of an extremely cheap, simple and convenient device for such purpose such as will at the same time afford means for readily filing such records in easily accessible shape.

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus as arranged for desk or table use.

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of a spool containing a record sheet ready for use or for filing, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modification designed for pocket use.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts: 1, is the main frame which may conveniently be made of a single sheet of metal, such as tin, cut and stamped up into either of the shapes shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or in any other convenient form. The main fiat portion 9, of the sheet forms the hearing or supporting surface for the flexible strip or tapelike piece 6, of paper or celluloid or other material suitable for receiving the record of written memoranda in pencil or ink. The ends 2, of the side portions of the frame form projecting extensions which are perforated or slotted as shown at 3, 3, to receive the ends of shafts 4, 4, which when mounted in said slots are parallel one to another and to the plane of the bearing surface 9. Preferably these shafts have one end threaded to receive a thumb nut 7, or other convenient tension producing device. Spools 5, 5, are mounted on shafts 4, 4, and are held between frame ends 2, 2, and the spool ends are in frictional contact therewith, the shafts 4, 4, passing through the usual hole 10, in each spool.

When designed to rest on a table or desk theapparatus has a base 8, which may conveniently be made of downward extensions of the sheet metal so shaped (as shown in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Serial No. 206,946.

which is set in slots 3, at one end of frame 1 (preferably at the lower end in the form shown in Fig. 1). The thumb nut 7, is adjusted to force inward the elastic projecting ends 2, 2, of the frame and cause them to grip the spool heads sufliciently to produce the desired friction thereon and resultant tension on the strip 6, when it is pulled off the spool. The free end of the tape or strip 6, is then carried over surface 9, and attached to the other spool which is similarly mounted in the other end of the frame, its nut 7 being adjusted to produce the necessary friction on the spool heads to hold the spool in any position in which it may be left by the operator. The frame extensions 2, 2, are preferably of semicircular shape, as shown, and of radii somewhat less than the radii of the spool heads so that the operator may easily grasp the spool heads to rotate one or the other of them and so advance the strip 6, toward that spool, winding it thereon and off of the other spool. Overcoming the frictional resistance of the elastic frame extensions on the spool from which the strip is unwound keeps the strip 6, under sufiicient tension to insure its lying fiat upon the surface 9. If at any time the user desires to refer to any memorandum which has passed into the roll on the upper spool, he can reverse the travel of the strip by turning the lower spool until the desired memorandum is exposed to view.

When the entire strip 6 has been used and wound on to a spool, that spool at the delivery end of the frame is transferred to the upper or receiving end, a spool of fresh paper is inserted in the delivery end and the before described operation repeated.

If it is not desired to retain all the records made, one strip of some material such as celluloid may be substituted for the usual paper strips. When this is filled up, the pencil marks (or a portion of them) can be rubbed off and the strip used over again. This is most useful in connection with the pocket size of my invention shown in Fig. 3.

I am aware that apparatus has been heretofore devised in which a record strip was wound on and off of rollers, but these required gearing to operate the rollers, and they were not designed nor adapted to be re,- inoved and used as filing means. In my invention, the spool head being exposed, it serves as a driving means, dispensing with gearing, and the spool alone performs several functions which heretofore have been distributed among a number of parts.

The advantages of my invention comprise its simplicity, cheapness, convenience, and

ease of manipulation, all as above set forth.

Having described my invention, I claim: The combination of the frame having two parallel shafts mounted one in each end, one end of each shaft being threaded, nuts on said threaded ends, a bearing surface on one side of the frame, and two spools mounted on said shafts adapted to carry a flexible strip of material capable of receiving a written record by having its ends Wound around said spools and its intermediate portion stretched across the bearing surface, the heads of said spools projecting beyond the frame ends so that they may be grasped by the operator to turn the spools and move the record strip in either direction over said bearing surface, and the ends of the frame in which said spools are mounted being elastically yielding toward each other, whereby on loosening the nuts the spools may be rotated by the operator while in position in the apparatus without the use of intervening mechanism, or, on tightening the nuts, may be clamped in any given position.

F. WARREN SUMNER. 

